Orthopedic braces are worn on the body of a user either to support a healthy skeletal joint that is at risk of injury or to stabilize a skeletal joint that has been destabilized by an injury or other condition. Orthopedic braces generally include rigid structural components to support or stabilize the skeletal joint. Frequently, although not necessarily, the rigid structural components are dynamically linked together by one or more hinges enabling controlled pivotal movement of the skeletal joint during user activity or rehabilitative therapy. The orthopedic brace is mounted on the body such that the hinges traverse the skeletal joint, while the rigid components are secured to the body above and below the skeletal joint by one or more straps. It is desirable to closely fit the orthopedic brace to the body on which the brace is mounted so that the orthopedic brace is maintained in a fixed position relative to the body even during periods of physical activity.
A close fit is typically enabled by tightening the straps of the orthopedic brace around the body to shorten the length of the straps. The shortened length of the straps is then set to maintain the fit of the orthopedic brace on the body thereafter. However, it is frequently desirable to remove the orthopedic brace from the body after a period of wearing the orthopedic brace. For example, removal of the brace may be desirable when the user anticipates a period of relative inactivity. The user remounts the orthopedic brace on the body when a period of physical activity is contemplated again.
Removal of the orthopedic brace from the body frequently requires the user to loosen the straps by lengthening them. Thus, it is necessary to refit the orthopedic brace to the body by readjusting the length of the straps when the user remounts the orthopedic brace on the body. Readjustment of the fit of an orthopedic brace to the body every time the orthopedic brace is removed and subsequently remounted on the body can be time-consuming and tedious. In addition, the probability of the user achieving a repeatable close fit with each readjustment diminishes with each removal and remounting sequence. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method for fitting an orthopedic brace to the body of a user. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for closely fitting an orthopedic brace to the body of a user, wherein the close fit is readily repeatable after removing the orthopedic brace from the body and remounting the orthopedic brace on the body any number of times. It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for closely fitting an orthopedic brace to the body of a user, wherein the orthopedic brace can be repositioned relative to the body without removing the orthopedic brace from the body or altering the fit of the orthopedic brace to the body. These objects and others are accomplished in accordance with the invention described hereafter.